• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.63-69
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• 1991

Nucleolar organizer regions (NOR) are loops of ribosomal DNA(rDNA) which are transcribed by RNA polymerase I. They produce ultimately ribosome and protein. Thus they are believed to reflect nuclear activity. We applied silver colloid staining technique to human glioma to examine relationship between the mean number of Ag-NOR and histopathological grading. The mean number of Ag-NOR(${\pm}$ S.E of the mean)were $1.17{\pm}0.07$ in normal brain, $1.53{\pm}0.25$ in astrocytoma, $2.37{\pm}0.71$ in malignant astrocytoma, and $2.88{\pm}0.41$ in glioblastoma multiforme. And there was a statistically significant difference among these. The results show that Ag-NOR technique is a rather simple and rapid method and will become a helpful tool for estimation of the proliferative potential of glioma.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2014

We already had reported that Bcl-w promotes invasion or migration in gastric cancer cells and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) by activating matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) via specificity protein 1 (Sp1) or ${\beta}$-cateinin, respectively. High expression of Bcl-w also has been reported in GBM which is the most common malignant brain tumor and exhibits aggressive and invasive behavior. These reports propose that Bcl-w-induced signaling is strongly associated with aggressive characteristic of GBM. We demonstrated that Sp1 protein or mRNA expression is induced by Bcl-w using Western blotting or RT-PCR, respectively, and markedly elevated in high-grade glioma specimens compared with low-grade glioma tissues using tissue array. However, relationship between Bcl-w-related signaling and aggressive characteristic of GBM is poorly characterized. This study suggested that Bcl-w-induced Sp1 activation promoted expression of glioma stem-like cell markers, such as Musashi, Nanog, Oct4 and sox-2, as well as neurosphere formation and invasiveness, using western blotting, neurosphere formation assay, or invasion assay, culminating in their aggressive behavior. Therefore, Bcl-w-induced Sp1 activation is proposed as a putative marker for aggressiveness of GBM.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.387-390
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• 2007

Objective : To determine the presentation, incidence, and risk factors of seizures in patients treated for brain tumors. Methods : One hundred patients who consecutively underwent a craniotomy for the treatment of supratentorial brain tumors were assessed. The pathologies of the patients enrolled in the study included glioma [n=56], meningioma [n=31], metastatic brain tumor [n=7], primary central nervous system lymphoma [n=4], and central neurocytoma [n=2]. Anti-epileptic drugs [AEDs] were administered to all patients for up to six months after the surgery. Pre-defined variables for outcome analysis included tumor grade and location, extent of tumor resection, number of seizures, age at tumor diagnosis, adjuvant therapy, medication and radiological abnormalities. Results : Thirty patients [30%] presented at least a single episode of seizure at the time of admission. Five of these patients [16.7%] developed the seizure during the follow-up period. Newly developed seizure was noticed in six out of seventy patients [8.6%] without prior seizure. Histopathology was malignant gliomas in 10 and supratentorial meningioma in one. Early seizure developed only in two patients. Conclusion : Compared with patients without seizure, patients with seizure at the time of admission showed younger age [p=0.003], a higher portion of low-grade glioma [p=0.001], tumor location in the frontal and temporal lobes [p=0.003] and cortical involvement [p=0.017]. Our study suggestes that tumor progression is considered a significant risk factor for seizure development in glioma patients.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.991-997
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• 2015

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an AU-rich elements (AREs)-binding protein, which regulates the decay of ARE-scontaining mRNAs such as proto-oncogenes, anti-apoptotic genes and immune regulatory genes. Despite the low expression of TTP in various human cancers, the mechanism involving suppressed expression of TTP is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene, Res), a naturally occurring compound, induces glioma cell apoptosis through activation of tristetraprolin (TTP). Res increased TTP expression in U87MG human glioma cells. Res-induced TTP destabilized the urokinase plasminogen activator and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor mRNAs by binding to the ARE regions containing the 3' untranslated regions of their mRNAs. Furthermore, TTP induced by Res suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis in the human glioma cells. Because of its regulation of TTP expression, these findings suggest that the bioactive dietary compound Res can be used as a novel anti-cancer agent for the treatment of human malignant gliomas.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.222-227
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• 2008

Objective : Malignant gliomas are the most common primary cerebral neoplasms in adults. Despite multimodality treatments, the prognosis for patients with malignant glioma remains poor. However, recently, the effectiveness of concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with temozolomide (TMZ) has been reported. We report for the first time preliminary results of the treatment with CCRT of newly diagnosed malignant gliomas in Korean people. Methods : Thirty-two patients over the age of 17 years with newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed high-grade gliomas (HGG), from June 2004 to August 2007 were the subjects of this study. There were 17 men and 15 women, with a median age of 53.5 years (range, 17-74). Pathologically, glioblastoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, anaplastic oligodendroglioma, and gliomatosis cerebri had been diagnosed in eighteen, eight, four, and two patients, respectively. These 32 patients were treated with CCRT with TMZ. Results : The median follow-up period was 12.5 months (range 3-48). At the time of this analysis, 13 patients died and three patients had been lost to follow-up. There was no mortality caused by drug toxicity. The median progression-free survival (PFS) of these patients was 9.0 months, and the six-month PFS rate was 72.4%. The median overall survival (OS) was 26 months, and the one-year OS rate was 83.6%. The 18 patients with glioblastoma were analyzed separately from the other patients with HGG, and the median OS was 18 months, and the one-year OS rates were 81.8%. The median PFS was seven months, and the six-month PFS rate was 75.0%. Conclusion : Our results are consistent with many other reports, confirming that CCRT with TMZ achieves good clinical outcomes in the treatment of HGG. Therefore, we suggest that CCRT with TMZ as adjuvant chemotherapy be considered as a standard therapy for patients with HGG.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.2693-2696
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• 2015

The diagnostic value of membrane glycolipid biochemistry index, the lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA) and total sialic acid (TSA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was evaluated in 30 intracranial and 65 gastrointestinal tumors. The plasma LSA, TSA and red cell membrane sialic acid (R-SA) in were determined according to the method of Sevenmerhulm. Our results showed that the levels of LSA and TSA in CSF of intracranial tumor patients was higher than that of normal group(p<0.01). The concentration of TSA and LSA in patients with malignant glioma was higher than that of benign meningioma patients(P<0.01). No significance was found between intracranial halmatoma patients and normal control group for levels of membrane glycolipids (p>0.05). Results also found that the plasma LSA, TSA and R-SA of gastric carcinoma were significantly higher than those of control group (p<0.05); while no significant difference was found in the plasma LSA, TSA and R-SA levels between chronic gastritis, gastrohelcoma and normal control group (p>0.05). Plasma LSA, TSA and R-SA levels of gastric carcinoma patient were significantly higher than those of chronic gastritis patients and gastrohelcoma patients(p<0.05). It was also found that plasma LSA, TSA and R-SA contents were significantly higher in large intestine carcinoma patients than in benign in stestine tumor patients (p<0.05) while no significant difference was found between intestine benign tumor and normal control group (p>0.05). The levels of LSA, TSA and R-SA were obviously higher in the patients with metastasis than in the ones without (p<0.05.) The membrane glycolipid biochemistry index LSA and TSA in CSF are sensive markers for diagnosing intracranial tumors. For gastrointestinal malignant tumors the plasma LSA TSA and red blood cell membrane SA may be considered as auxiliary indicators for diagnosis. They can be used for distinguishing benign from malignant tumors.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 2016

Objective : Malignant gliomas with neuronal marker expression (MGwNM) are rare and poorly characterized. Increasingly diverse types of MGwNM have been described and these reported cases underscore the dilemmas in the classification and diagnosis of those tumors. The aim of this study is to provide additional insights into MGwNM and present the clinicopathological features of 18 patients. Methods : We reviewed the medical records of 18 patients diagnosed as MGwNM at our institute between January 2006 and December 2012. Macroscopic total resection was performed in 11 patients (61%). We evaluated the methylation status of $O^6$-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and expression of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH-1) in all cases, and deletions of 1p and 19q in available cases. Results : The estimated median overall survival was 21.2 months. The median progression-free survival was 6.3 months. Six patients (33%) had MGMT methylation but IDH1 mutation was found in only one patient (6%). Gene analysis for 1p19q performed in nine patients revealed no deletion in six, 19q deletion only in two, and 1p deletion only in one. The extent of resection was significantly correlated with progression free survival on both univariate analysis and multivariate analysis (p=0.002 and p=0.013, respectively). Conclusion : In this study, the overall survival of MGwNM was not superior to glioblastoma. The extent of resection has a significant prognostic impact on progression-free survival. Further studies of the prognostic factors related to chemo-radio therapy, similar to studies with glioblastoma, are mandatory to improve survival.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.371-380
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• 2000

Purpose: Thallim-201 ($^{201}Tl$) brain SPECT, which can represent cellular activity of brain lesions, may provide more useful information in differentiating between benign and malignant brain lesions more so than CT of MRI, that merely represents anatomic changes or breakdown of blood brain barrier. We used $^{201}Tl$ brain SPECT prospectively to evaluate the utility of $^{201}Tl$-indices as an indicator of benign or malig nant lesions. Materials and Methods: We studied 28 patients. There were 13 cases of benign lesions (3: nonspecific benign lesion, 3: meningioma, 2: low grade glioma, 1: tuberculoma, central neurocytoma, hemangioblastoma, radiation necrosis, and choroid plexus papilloma) and 15 cases of malignant lesions (6: glioblastoma multiforme, 5: anaplastic glioma, 2: medulloblastoma, 1: metastasis and lymphoma). In all patients, CT and/or MRI were obtained and then $^{201}Tl$ brain SPECT was obtained with measuring mean $^{201}Tl$ index and peak $^{201}Tl$ index. An unpaired t-test was performed to compare the $^{201}Tl$-indices and pathologic diagnoses to evaluate the utility of $^{201}Tl$-indices as all indicator of benign or malignant lesions. Results: There were no statistically significant difference in $^{201}Tl$-indices between benign and malignant brain lesion (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results demonstrated that we could not use $^{201}Tl$ indices on brain SPECT alone as an indicator of benign or malignant brain lesions.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.266-270
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• 2015

Over the last decade, comprehensive genome-wide sequencing studies have enabled us to find out unexpected genetic alterations of metabolism in cancer. An example is the identification of arginine missense mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenases-1 and -2 (IDH1/2) in glioma, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chondrosarcomas, and cholangiocarcinoma. These alterations are closely associated with the production of a new stereospecific metabolite, (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate (R-2HG). A large number of follow-up studies have been performed to address the molecular mechanisms of IDH1/2 mutations underlying how these events contribute to malignant transformation. In the meanwhile, the development of selective mutant IDH1/2 chemical inhibitors is being actively pursued in the scientific community and pharmaceutical industry. The present review article briefly discusses the important findings that highlight the molecular mechanisms of IDH1/2 mutations in cancer and provides a current status for development of selective mutant IDH1/2 chemical inhibitors. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(5): 266-270]

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.31-35
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• 2011

The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer(IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans(Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use on 31, May 2011. It takes 10 years after announcing the electric magnetic as possibly carcinogenic to humans(Group 2B) and 14 years after starting research project. It is too late as mentioned, too weak in terms of the same class to 'pickles & coffee' and too little in terms of using words 'more studies required'. The guidelines on human exposure to electromagnetic fields have been developed to provide guidance to identify the safety of exposure to electromagnetic fields. On the recent recommendations of safety guidelines, there has been discussion on possible chronic effects of electromagnetic fields with much lower or no threshold. This paper riviews the global trends of safety guidelines and has suggested the new guidelines for protecting the human health, wildlife and insects.